Croach Hill

The walk up Croach Hill from Castle Douglas takes you through proper Lowland countryside without the faffing about that comes with bigger peaks. It's not a long slog - the summit sits at a modest height, so you're looking at maybe an hour or so to get up and back down again depending on your pace and where you start from.

What makes it worth the effort is the view back across Dumfries and Galloway. On a clear day you can see proper distance from up there, which beats sitting in Castle Douglas itself looking at the same handful of streets. Families won't struggle with the gradient, though younger kids might need a bit of persuasion for the last push to the top. Walkers treating it as a warm-up before tackling the Cairngorms will find it easy enough, and the local history types often appreciate the vantage point over the old drove roads that used to cut through this bit of Scotland.

You're staying somewhere around Kippford View or one of the other holiday parks clustered within three miles of here, so access is straightforward - no long drive before you can even start walking. The nearest proper facilities are in Castle Douglas itself, which is close enough that you could easily combine this with a quick wander round town if the weather turns.

No facilities on the hill itself, so bring water. Free to visit, obviously. Best tackled in the morning before the Scottish midges start thinking about lunch.